Prudence del Torro, left, of Portland, and Clay Rosenkild, of Grand Terrace, look northeast over the San Bernardino Valley from the top of Blue Mountain on March 3, 2018. The mountain is currently only open to the public once a year, but a nonprofit and the city of Grand Terrace are trying to change that. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

A light, misty rain dripped off yellow brittlebush flowers and collected in the leaves of lupines as hundreds of hikers in brightly colored jackets made their way up to the 2,428-foot peak of Blue Mountain earlier this month.

As the sun broke through a few hours in, a vast view presented itself: The San Bernardino Mountains to the north shrouded in storm clouds, a valley of rooftops and freeways tangled below.

“It gets you above the hurley-burley, the hustle-bustle, and it gives you a perspective on the geography around us: the towns, the mountains,” said Redlands resident Jane Gunn, gesturing to the west toward the Jurupa Hills. “On a clear day the mountains are spectacular; (they’re) everywhere.”

Let the weather turn you back, and you’ll miss your chance. This day, March 3, was the only day this year the mountain would be open to the public, but a nonprofit group and the city of Grand Terrace want to change that.

The Friends of Blue Mountain held their annual walk up the hill on Saturday, March 3, 2018. Currently, the only road up the hill is closed except for the group’s yearly events. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

The Friends of Blue Mountain held their annual walk up the hill on Saturday, March 3, 2018. Brittlebush blooms at the top as clouds hang over Moreno Valley to to the southeast. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

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The Friends of Blue Mountain held their annual walk up the hill on Saturday, March 3, 2018. Hikers who made it to the top enjoyed views in every direction. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

The Friends of Blue Mountain held their annual walk up the hill on Saturday, March 3, 2018. Vendors sold tacos to hungry hikers at the bottom of the hill. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

The Friends of Blue Mountain held their annual walk up the hill on Saturday, March 3, 2018. Currently, the only road up the hill is closed except for the group’s yearly events. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

Small lupine leaves catch raindrops on the Friends of Blue Mountain’s annual walk up the hill on Saturday, March 3, 2018. The mountain is currently only open to the public once a year, but the nonprofit and the city of Grand Terrace are trying to change that. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

Prudence del Torro, left, of Portland, and Clay Rosenkild, of Grand Terrace, look northeast over the San Bernardino Valley from the top of Blue Mountain on March 3, 2018. The mountain is currently only open to the public once a year, but a nonprofit and the city of Grand Terrace are trying to change that. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

Clouds hang over the Badlands looking east from near the top of Blue Mountain on Saturday, March 3, 2018. The mountain is currently only open to the public once a year, but a nonprofit and the city of Grand Terrace are trying to change that. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

A hiker takes in the view from the top of Blue Mountain on Saturday, March 3, 2018. In the background are the Santa Ana Mountains to the south, with the city of Riverside and the Box Springs Mountains laid out in between. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

An American flag is stuck in a rock at the top of Blue Mountain on Saturday, March 3, 2018. The clouds hang over Moreno Valley in the background. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

Sandaster blooms catch raindrops along the road to the top of Blue Mountain on Saturday, March 3, 2018. The mountain is currently only open to the public once a year, but a nonprofit and the city of Grand Terrace are trying to change that. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

The Friends of Blue Mountain held their annual walk up the hill on Saturday, March 3, 2018. The mountain is currently only open to the public once a year, but the nonprofit and the city of Grand Terrace are trying to change that. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

Brittlebush blooms along the road to the top of Blue Mountain on the damp morning of Saturday, March 3, 2018. The mountain is currently only open to the public once a year, but a nonprofit and the city of Grand Terrace are trying to change that. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

The City of Grand Terrace is proposing to put in a Blue Mountain trailhead on the corner of Observation and Van Buren streets, if they receive $250,000 in grant funding. (SCNG)

Prudence del Torro, left, of Portland, and Clay Rosenkild, of Grand Terrace, look northeast over the San Bernardino Valley from the top of Blue Mountain on March 3, 2018. The mountain is currently only open to the public once a year, but a nonprofit and the city of Grand Terrace are trying to change that. (Jennifer Iyer, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

City plans

The only access to the mountain is via private property and a road closed most of the year with a wrought iron gate and barbed wire. For the Friends of Blue Mountain’s yearly event the gate is opened and the public invited. Almost a thousand people show up to hike on those days, according to Grand Terrace City Manager Harold Duffey, although this year there were fewer participants due to the weather.

The City of Grand Terrace is proposing to put in a Blue Mountain trailhead on the corner of Observation and Van Buren streets, if they receive $250,000 in grant funding. (Courtesy of city of Grand Terrace)

The city has plans, $500,000 worth, to make the mountain accessible every day.

Plans call for a parking lot at the corner of Observation and Van Buren streets with a restroom and a new trail on city-owned land and an easement connecting to the existing road.

To help pay for it, they had applied for a habitat conservation grant from the state last year and were turned down, but “reviewers said they really liked the project,” Duffey said, and gave the city a few suggestions. They resubmitted, and hope to hear back in late April or early May.

If they get it, the grant of $250,000 will be matched with impact fees the city has collected from developers.

As the “Blue Mountain City” “it has been a part of (Grand Terrace)’s heritage since it incorporated 40 years ago,” Duffey said. To have it “accessible to residents every day of the week would be great.”

A GRAND VISION

Kidd has been working for 11 years to raise funds to buy 500 acres of the mountain from a variety of private landowners and link it up with the neighboring Box Springs Mountain Reserve in Riverside County “to create a huge wilderness park in the heart of the Inland Empire.”

The group has raised about $40,000 over the years, with a goal of $64,000 for an initial land purchase.

“It’s been really slow going,” he admitted.

The City of Grand Terrace is proposing to put in a Blue Mountain trailhead and trail on the corner of Observation and Van Buren streets, if they receive $250,000 in grant funding. (Courtesy of city of Grand Terrace)

The group aims to preserve the mountain from development and to keep its rolling, boulder-strewn slopes open to all.

“We used to be able to hike up there anytime we wanted to,” said the longtime resident and avocado grower. “We also want to preserve the open space, preserve the land for the animals and the plants.”

His partial list of the critters that call the mountain home includes bobcats, mountain lions, deer “I saw deer, like, 40 years ago, there’s not a whole lot,” but they’re there, he said. There’s also skunks and raccoons, coyotes, opossums, squirrels and rattlesnakes, gopher snakes, king snakes, rabbits, quail and burros.

At that gathering in early March, scrub jays chased each other, screeching, over the colorful tents where tacos were cooking and volunteers handed out information about the group’s quest.

“This is beautiful with the clouds and the sky, I love California after a rain,” said hiker Prudence del Torro, of Portland, while standing on boulders at the top. “I’m glad we didn’t flake out; I noticed some people did.”

From the top of the mountain you can look down and watch red-tailed hawks and ravens glide over neighborhoods below.

“It’s the best way to get a quick cardio hiking close to the city,” said Gunn, the Redlands hiker.

Her friend, Anna Peterson, also of Redlands, said the talking and walking, “it’s very good therapy for us.

“Physically and mentally this is a good place for us.”

Friends of Blue Mountain

When: The group meets at 6 p.m. the third Thursday of each month (except December)

A lifelong Inland resident, Jennifer Iyer started working in journalism at The Press-Enterprise in 2000. She has written (and shot photos for) stories on wildflowers, camping with a dog, and many community events, and as a videographer covered wildfires and war games to blimp rides and camel racing from Temecula to Big Bear Lake, Twentynine Palms to Jurupa Valley.